If I Should Die_ A Novel of Suspense - Allison Brennan [54]
“I offered to help you,” Sean said, “and you tried to kill me.”
The kid spoke. “I didn’t want to kill you.”
“You’re lucky my girlfriend is smart and tracked me down. Otherwise, I could have died down there. So right now, you have two options. I haul your ass to Canton and have you arrested for arson and attempted murder or you tell me what the fuck is going on, starting with your name.”
Sean watched the teenager weigh whether he was serious or not. Sean let him stew.
Finally, he said, “I don’t want your help.”
“Fair enough. Come with me.”
“I ain’t going anywhere.” He backed away, eyeing a butcher block of knives.
Sean was getting pissed. “Look, kid, I can draw my gun faster than you can grab one of those knives, and that’s not taking into account that I doubt you know how to throw a knife with any accuracy. I want to help you. But you have to want help. You can think there’s no way out, that you’re drowning in whatever shit you’re stuck in, but I promise you—there’s always a way out. Might not be pretty, but when you’re drowning and someone offers you a life preserver, you’d be smart to grab it.”
Sean held out his hand. “You know my name. I don’t know yours.”
“You found Jimmy, I bet you can figure it out.”
Jimmy. That meant either an older brother or an uncle.
“Let me tell you what I think is going on. I think Jimmy has you doing something you don’t want to do. That he’s mixed up with some people and got you mixed up with them, too. First you start small—basic sabotage. Slows construction at the Hendrickson place, costs them a bit of money, but doesn’t stop them.”
“You don’t know what the fuck you’re talking about.”
“Jimmy has you by the throat, and he’s going to get you killed or in prison if you don’t take my help.” He held out his card. “I’m being straightforward with you, kid.”
“Jimmy’s not—” He cut himself off and grabbed the card. Stared at it as if it were a lifeline, his face trying not to show how worried he was. How scared. How protective of Jimmy.
“Jimmy’s not what? Maybe I should just hang out here until he gets done with his shift, talk to him, find out if he knows what you’ve been doing while he’s been working seventy-two-hour shifts.” Sean pulled out a kitchen chair and sat down. He leaned back, pretending to relax.
“You can’t stay here. You gotta leave.” His voice cracked as he looked at the closest exit.
“I don’t want to play games with you. But you nearly killed me, and worse? You scared my girlfriend. I want to help, but right now I don’t like you much. Give me a reason.”
The kid looked up as if asking God for help, but not expecting any.
“Start with your name. First name, that’s all.”
Through clenched teeth, he said, “Ricky.”
“Good. I don’t know what’s going on in this town, but I’m pretty sure you—and Jimmy—aren’t orchestrating it. I will find out the truth.”
A car door slammed and Ricky jumped. Panicked, he craned his head toward the kitchen window, so he could see down the driveway. “You’re a liar,” he said to Sean.
Sean looked out. A sheriff’s truck was parked behind Ricky’s car, but the man who was walking up the weed-infested path wasn’t Deputy Weddle. This guy was ten years older and out of uniform, though he had a badge clipped to his utility belt next to his gun.
“I didn’t call the cops, Ricky.”
“Right.”
“I’m not lying.”
“Prove it.”
There was a knock on the door. Sean glanced around, motioned toward the bathroom at the end of the hall. “I’m not here.”
Ricky looked skeptical, but Sean walked to the bathroom and quietly closed the door. A moment later, he heard the front door open.
The house was small and the walls were thin, so Sean was able to hear nearly everything the cop said.
“Are you James Benson’s nephew?” he asked.
“Yes,” Ricky said. “Why?”
“I’m Detective Sergeant Kyle Dillard. What’s your name, son?”
“Ricky. Where’s Jimmy?”
“Do you have any other relatives in town?”
“No. What happened? Did he get hurt? Why didn’t his chief call me?”
“He wasn’t hurt on the job,” Dillard said. “May I come in a moment?”
There was a long pause, then Sean heard the door